



cive to germination. The glass should be removed as soon as the young plants appear or they will be 



" drawn" by it, and will become weak and straggly. 



Ants are very fond of some small seeds and in a short time will carry away every seed out of a box. 

 To put a stop to the depredations of these mischievous little creatures a good plan is to have a stand made 

 with four legs, large enough to hold one or two seed boxes, aad either have the legs tarred, or stand 

 each in a small tin of kerosine oil; this will prevent the ants getting at the seeds. I have already men- 

 tioned that all seeds do not take the same time to germinate, some taking a few days, and others vears. 

 It is not desirable that we should have to wait one or two years for the seeds of a certain plant to grow, 

 and some remedy to prevent this long delay, or rather some remedy to promote and assist germination is 

 usually resorted to. Various remedies have been suggested, but the most effectual is generally admit- 

 ted to be that of soaking the seeds in water for some time previous to sowing. The water causes the 

 seeds to swell and the tough integuments which enclose the embryo burst. Although soaking seeds to 

 induce germination is a good remedy it is not always an effectual one. I have mentioned that the seeds 

 of the Ceara rubber (Manihot Glaziovii) often take years to germinate, and this has been the c-ise although 

 the seeds were soaked in a box, two sides of which were made of perforated zinc, placed in a running 

 stream of wafer and allowed to remain there for o\er two months. The seeds of this tree, however, are 

 exceptionally hard, and recourse was had to filing and grinding down the ends of them. This was 

 rather a tedious and slow process but was fairly successful. The seeds of the Ivory-nut Palm (Phytele- 

 phas raacrocarpa) also take a very long time to germinate. Some seeds lose their vitality soon, while 

 others retain it for a long time. Nutmegs, for instance, should be sown when quite fresh ; if kept for 

 any length of time the kernel shrinks and will be heard to rattle in the shell if the nut is shaken. 

 When this is the case germination cannot take place aud it is useless to sow the nuts. I might mention 

 also that great care should be taken in handling nutmegs when even quite fresh If roughly shaken 

 the embryo becomes detached and the seed will uot grow. Coffee and Cacao seeds also require to be 

 sown immediately after ripening. 



In sowing seeds in beds in the open, as for instance, Cacao, it is best to sow in small drills 6 or 8 

 inches apart, and the seeds should not be placed too thickly, so that when the young plants appear they 

 Will have sufficient light, air and space to develop It is the practice in some parts to " plant at stake," 

 as it is called, that is, the ground is loosened and the seed is placed where it is intended that the plant 

 produced by it shall occupy a permanent position. It is a much better plan, however, to raise the plants 

 in beds and transplant when strong enough. If a planter wishes to establish, say, 2,000 nutmegs on 

 his property he cannot possibly give them the same care and attention during their infancy, if the seeds 

 are planted singly over a large area of ground, as if he had all in a seed-bed or nursery under his eye. 



W. Harris. 



BOTANICAL NOTES ON COMMON PLANTS GROWING IN JAMAICA (2). 



The following notes are in continuation of those in Bulletin No. 9. They are intended for the use 

 of those who wish to practice themselves in the use of botanical terms. It will be found easy enough, 

 to understand them, after mastering Sir Joseph Hooker's very interesting " Primer of Botany." 

 (18) Turkey Bi )om, Kill-Buckra Weed, Caltrop (Tribulus). 



The calyx consists of 5 distinct sepals (poly-sepalous) with the edges overlapping in the bud 

 {imbricate) ; it is inserted below the pistil {inferior). The corolla consists of 5 distinct petals {poly- 

 petalous), imbricate and inserted beiovo the pistil {hypo-gynous). The stamens are 10 in number, free 

 from one another {dec-androus), and hypogynous ; 5 are opposite the petals, and 5 are alternate which 

 have a gland at their base outside; the anthers are fixed about the centre with the lower portion of 

 the lobes free. Within the stamens there is a tenlobed fleshy ring {disc). The pistil is composed of 

 5 united carpels (syn-carpous) ; it is free from the calyx {superior) ; the carpels are opposite the petals, 

 each with 3 ovules placed one above the other, imbedded in the tissue of the ovary ; the style is short 

 with 5 stigmas.. The ripe ovary (fruit) consists of 5 to 10 distinct portions ; each, woody, not opening 

 {in-dehiscent), with 2 long spines and numerous short spines ; each with 3 seeds, sunk obliquely in the 

 woody tissue. The seed has a thin white skin {testa), is without endosperm {ex- albuminous) ; the cotyledons 

 are oblong ; the radicle is short. 



The species are herbs with prostrate branches. The leaves are stipulate, compound, with the 

 leaflets arranged along each side of a common stalk {pinnate), and ending with a pair of leaflets {abruptly 

 pinnate) 



There are two species of this genus in Jamaica : — 



Tribulus cistoides, L. (Turkey Blossom or Kill Buckra Weed) in which the calyx soon drops (deci- 

 duous ) ; and the fruit breaks up into 5 portions, each of which is divided transversely into one-seeded 

 compartments. 



Tribulus maximus, L. (Caltrop) in which the calyx is persistent, and the fruit breaks up into 10 

 portions, each with one seed. 



They belong together with Lignum Vitae ( Guiacum officinale ) to the order Zygophylleae, of 

 which the following are the principal characters: — There are 4 or 5 sepals, usually inferior, and im- 

 bricate. There are 4 or 5 petals, hypogynous, and usually imbricate. The stamens are hypogynous, 

 usually with a scale at the base, equal or double the number of the petals. The disk is hypogynous, 

 usually fleshy. The ovary is lobed or angled, 4 or 5-celled. The embryo has little or no endosperm. 



The order belongs to the group Polypetalae of the Dicotyledons. 



(19.) Horse Radish Tree. (Moringa pterygosperma, Gajrtn.) 

 The flowers are irregular. The calyx consists of 5 united sepals ( gamo-sepalous ), the edges over- 

 lapping in the bud ( imbricate ), inserted below the pistil ( inferior); the tube is short ; the limb is divided 

 nearly to the base ( 6-partite), the lobes are petaloid and somewhat unequal. The corolla consists of 



